Easy Spicy Plum Sauce Recipe for Canning
This flavorful, lightly spicy plum sauce recipe makes Chinese dishes like moo shu pancakes and stir fries sing and works wonderful as a condiment on meats, too. It’s super easy to make, tastes amazing, and makes great gifts when canned.
✩ What readers are saying…
“Thank you for the wonderful recipe! I made this last weekend and it is so yummy. It sorta reminds me of a barbeque sauce. It is definitely a keeper!” -Pamela
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In addition to Addictive Tomato Chutney, this canned plum sauce is one of the must-have condiments to have on hand throughout the year. It adds a wonderful flavor to vegetable stir fries and baked or grilled chicken and pork.
One of my favorite ways to use it is with an easy type of moo shu chicken or pork, that uses flour tortillas for the Chinese pancakes.
Easy Moo Shu Chicken (or Pork) Dinner Idea with Plum Sauce
Simply stir-fry cabbage, broccoli, and carrots with some thinly sliced chicken or pork, and add a sauce made of soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic and ginger at the end of stir-frying.
Serve the stir fry with the warmed tortillas and this plum sauce. Layer the stir fry on a tortilla, drizzle with the plum sauce and roll up. Dinner done!
The flavor of this is SO good – I think its way better than the store bought stuff.
And it’s really easy to make – it’s a good beginner canning recipe because you simply cook all the ingredients together, blend to smooth and then add to jars to can.
It’s also a lot cheaper than the small little bottles in stores, especially if you grow plums or can find them for free.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Plums – any kind though Italian is preferred (see note).
- Onion – any kind will work, regular, sweet, or red onions.
- Brown sugar – adds a depth of flavor from the molasses, though you can use all cane sugar.
- Cane sugar – brings the sweet and helps to thicken the sauce.
- Dry mustard – helps bring that Chinese mustard flavor to the sauce.
- Ground ginger – essential for this Asian condiment.
- Salt – use a canning salt or a pure, no additive fine sea salt.
- Garlic cloves – fresh is best here, but like with all canning recipes, do no increase the amount of fresh garlic (if you’d like more garlic flavor, add a bit of garlic powder).
- Red pepper flakes – this gives the sauce it’s spice and you can adjust up or down (or omit completely if you need).
- Ground cinnamon – a touch of cinnamon balances the flavor of the fruit and spices here though you can reduce it if you’d like.
- Apple cider vinegar – used for it’s milder flavor, rice vinegar would be a nice substitute and you can use white vinegar if needed.
Plum Note: I like to use Italian plums for 2 reasons:
- They are drier so take less time to thicken.
- They grow in abundance around here, so I can usually find them for free (and if you have access to Italian plums, they make the BEST dried plums ever!)
But I have made this with regular plums and other than being a lighter color and taking a bit longer to cook, it was just as good. Your sauce will be the color of whatever type plum you use – Italian are dark, so this sauce is, too.
How to Make Spicy Plum Sauce
Detailed quantities and instructions are included in the full recipe box below, but here are a few extra tips to help with each step:
Step 1: Chop the Plums. You can hand chop the plums like shown above, but after discovering how easy the food processor made canning tomato chutney and my favorite salsa, I now use the processor for this recipe, too. To Process: Simply cut the plums in half, remove the pit, and throw them in the food processor to chop.
Step 2: Cook. Finely chop the onions (or use the processor) and add them to a large heavy-bottomed pot along with all the other ingredients, including the chopped plums. Cook for about an hour on low, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom. This plum sauce literally takes minutes to prepare – the rest is just stirring and canning.
Tip: after many years using a couple of cheap, not great food processors, this is the best price-best quality food processor I use and recommend now.
Step 3: Blend. After the hour of cooking, use an immersion/hand-held blender to make a smooth sauce, incorporating the skins and onions. Just process for a minute until desired consistency.
Step 4: Thicken. Let the plum sauce cook, uncovered, until it’s thick and syrupy – usually about another 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the type of plum you used and how juicy they were.
Pro Tip: The sauce really wants to stick to the bottom as it thickens, so plan on hanging around the kitchen so you’re available to stir every now and then.
Step 5: Prepare lids, jars, and canner while sauce cooks (here is a list of the essential canning tools I use and love).
Read my easy step-by-step canning tutorial here or check out this video tutorial if you’re new to canning (both updated with current safety information):
Step 6: Fill half-pint jars. Transfer plum sauce to a clean, warm, half-pint canning jar, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe rim, attach lids and transfer to rack in canner. Fill remaining jars one at a time.
Step 7: Process jars. Lower rack of jars and bring canner water to a boil and process for 20. Turn off heat, uncover, and let sit for 5 minutes before transferring jars to a towel lined surface. Cool, label and store for 18 months.
Canning Tips
- I recommend only stainless steel utensils and canning funnel when dealing with boiling hot food items – this list contains all the canning supplies I use.
- I now use a stainless steel canner with a glass lid and smooth bottom that I recommend to everyone! It can be used on smooth-top ranges and monitoring the boil through the glass is easier and safer, plus you can fit more jars into each batch.
How to Use Plum Sauce
Here are a few ideas to use your homemade plum sauce:
- The moo shu pancake dinner idea from above.
- Drizzle on stir fry with noodles or on grilled vegetables.
- Use as a condiment for baked or grilled chicken or pork.
- Add to slow cooker with boneless chicken or pork shoulder for an Asian flavored pulled chicken or pork meal.
- Top a cracker with cream cheese and a dollop of plum sauce for a yummy appetizer.
Reader Raves
“My plum tree went crazy this year and this recipe is much tastier than another plum-based asian-style recipe I’ve tried previously. Thanks for creating and sharing!” -Kristina
“Wow! A simple recipe that is scrumptious! Easy to make and can and a lovely, lightly spiced plum sauce.” -Sandra
I hope you love this spicy plum sauce – if you make it, be sure to leave a recipe rating so I know how you liked it!
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Spicy Plum Sauce Recipe for Canning
Ingredients
- 4 pounds plums washed, cut in half and pitted (or amount needed to equal 8 cups of food-processed chopped plums)
- 3/4 cup chopped onion about 1 medium
- 1½ cups brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
- 1 tablespoons dry ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic minced, about 2 teaspoons
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes or to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup cider vinegar
Instructions
- Chop plums in a food processor and transfer to a large heavy-bottomed pot (it should equal 8 cups chopped plums). Chop onions in processor and add them to the plums.
- Combine the remaining ingredients with plums and onions, bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Cook until thickened, about an hour.
- For a smooth sauce, puree with an immersion blender right in the pot (optional if you’d like a chunkier sauce, though it helps speed the cooking time) and continue cooking for another hour, or until the sauce reaches the desired thickness.
- Ladle sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Attach lids and rings. Process 20 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Turn off heat, remove lid and let jars sit in canner to cool for 5 minutes. Remove to a cloth to cool completely.
- Test lids, label jars, store and use within a year to 18 months.
Notes
Nutrition
FAQs
Yes, this sauce can be frozen in any size freezer-safe container you have. Be sure to leave at least an inch of headspace, though, to allow for expansion.
Process the smaller jars the same amount as the half-pint jars.
You can reduce sugar safely in canned items, it’s the vinegar in this that you don’t want to mess with. The sugar does help with the color and texture, so be aware of that and start by reducing just a bit to see at first.
More Easy Condiments To Try
- Easy Addictive Tomato Chutney Recipe (Regular & Lower Sugar Options)
- Home Canned Pizza Sauce from frozen or fresh tomatoes
- Spicy Rhubarb Chutney to Can or Freeze
This recipe was originally published in 2011 and has been updated in 2017 and 2023.
Disclosure: affiliate links in this post will earn commission based on sales, but it doesn’t change your price. Click here to read my full disclaimer and advertising disclosure.
Wow! A simple recipe that is scrumptious! Easy to make and can and a lovely, lightly spiced plum sauce. Thank you so much!
You’re welcome – so glad you liked it, Sandra!
Can this be frozen in small plastic ball containers?
Thanks sure going to try this even if I have to can.
Wayne
Nakusp, British Columbia
Of course! That would be a perfectly good way to preserve this plum sauce.
I made this yesterday and I can’t stop eating it!
Uh, oh. Thank you for taking a break to comment and let me know. 😉
I loved this! Although next time I’ll reduce the dried chili by half. Maybe mine was just really fresh, but wow is it spicy. Delicious, but spicy. My parents may have to take it easy on this stuff.
I’m glad you liked this, Veronica! And yes, you’ll have to adjust to personal taste for sure. 🙂 FYI: it does tend to mellow as it sits if you were going by the taste right after cooking.
Love this sauce!
Thank you for the plum sauce recipe! I plan to make a batch today using Italian plums. We have a tree but a bear attacked it this year and didn’t leave us many plums. Luckily, I found somebody nearby who has an Italian plum tree and let me pick a bunch.
Oh, I wish I had a friend nearby like you! Well, actually I do have a friend who let me pick, but there were so few we don’t have enough and I’m looking for another friend, ha!
We have several plum trees we inherited with our property. No plums this year due to a late frost, but I’ll for sure be trying this next year.
Last year for my birthday I bought myself an electric water bath canner and I love it! Doesn’t heat up my kitchen and I can use another pot on my stove if I want. It also has a clear lid so I know better when it’s boiling. Just a fun kitchen toy!
That sounds great, Rosemary – I do want to try one of those one day!
Thank you for the wonderful recipe! I made this last weekend and it is so yummy. It sorta reminds me of a barbaque sauce. It is definetly a keeper!
Thanks again for sharing.
Blessings
So glad you liked it, Pamela – thanks for taking the time to let me know. 🙂
Thanks so much, Jami! Can’t make to make it. 🙂
This recipe looks fantastic!! I have tons of plums from my friend’s tree and am going to get the ingredients tomorrow. I’m wondering if the amount of sugar could be reduced even further? I love very tart flavors. Do you think it would be safe to can with less sugar?
Thanks!
Yes, you can reduce sugar safely in canned items, Alex, it’s the vinegar in this that you wouldn’t want to mess with. The sugar does help with the color and such, so be aware of that. Hope you enjoy it!
Have you ever tried making this recipe in a pressure cooker?
No, Karen – I’ve actually never cooked in a pressure cooker. They kinda scare me. 🙂
I did it! And it was awesome!
Yeah, Karen! We’re still waiting for ours this year.
I made a half batch and the ginger was really dominant, on asking around, it seems the ball book calls for 1 TBSP of fresh ginger, which would be 1-2 tsp of dried , not 1 TBSP of dried as stated above, for a full batch. I see that others have had good results with the recipe as stated, but personally I cant taste anything but ginger. I would use 1-2 tsp in future. I am glad you posted it though, it’s a great idea for the tons of plums this year.
It’s perfectly fine to adjust the dried seasonings to your taste – that’s how we make things our own. I like ginger, so I use a larger amount. 🙂
Yay. 🙂 Thanks, Jami!
I made a mini batch tonight and it was amazing! I have a tree full of Italian plums and tomorrow will tackle canning a double batch! Thanks! (I did add a bit of 5 spice too for kicks!)
Sounds good – I’ll have to try that with my next batch, Jo!
Just put up 10 half pints of this amazing plum sauce tonight and then looking back at the recipe, I realized that I left more like a half inch space at the top of each jar not the quarter inch stated. The jars all sealed but wondering if you think there is cause for concern due to this extra space?
Thanks for your amazing recipes, canning tutorial, and all the other great DIY stuff!
I’m sure they’re fine if they all sealed, Pamela! The headspace amt. is the optimum for sealing, but as long as they sealed, you’re good to go. 🙂
Simmering on my stovetop now and it smells delicious. Now to decide if I should make another batch!
I just made this and couldn’t stop tasting it along the way. My jars are currently cooling. I did chicken out when it came to the I T of salt so I used 1tsp and it tastes pretty darn good. Was the 1T a mistake?
Thanks
Nope, it’s a tablespoon. I adapted the recipe from the Ball Blue Book (changing things like spices and sugar only) and the recipe calls for 1 TB. If you’re happy with the teaspoon, that’s great! Glad you like it. 🙂
Yum! I made this ball recipe last month and it’s awesome with pork! I just love canning. It makes me feel like a happy homemaker!
Stopped by from Tasty Tuesday!
Yamyy! That looks soooo good! Thank-you so much for sharing!
This looks so good…..I think I’m going to make this soon while those plums are still around. I made Plum Jam with these plums, it’s a real tasty jam on my blog.
I’m now a follower of yours, love your Blog.